In which this is part three of the five-day challenge, and I am challenged

Fly On Over started this challenge.  I've done the first two parts, and part three is a bit more challenging!

11. Critique your horse’s conformation

Horse, brown.  Other than that????

I am terrible at conformation critique.  Somebody who knows something, please chime in? 

Draw some circles and arrows and a paragraph or something, and explain what it's about? 

bum high

• Her legs seem square, maybe a bit long for her body.  
• Her butt is at least 2 inches higher than her withers when she is standing still on a flat surface.  When she moves, her hocks bend and her butt is significantly lower than her withers.
• Her back is long compared to most Arabs, but seems appropriate for her.  
• Neck, maybe a bit short?  It keeps her head from banging into her shoulders, so I guess it's functional.  
• Her head is gigantic, but a little dinky head would look silly on this mare.
• Feet: size 2W Renegade boot, so they're big.  The farrier stretches out a size 1 steel shoe for her all the way around.

Gigantor

Mostly, she's just huge.  I know she sticks at 15.3 hands (really!) but I'm only 15.2 hands, and it's a long way to the top of this mare!

12. Horse’s favorite riding exercise

Arena: Fiddle loves dressage practice.  

Laterals, collection, anything fancy she can do at the trot is her favorite.  

(Canter, not so much, but a lot of that is my lack of skill.)

Former Racehorse turned Dressage Machine

But her real joy

Jubilee ride, October 2013

is trails.

13. Favorite spa day products
Water.


14. Three best things about your horse
1.  She stops to think about stuff.

2.  She will do almost anything, as long as I can explain what I need.  Pin a ribbon on a tree at the top of an embankment over the trail?  Okay.  Trot forward when all the other horses are walking?  Okay.  Abruptly stop trotting down the trail and stand quietly tied to a tree while somebody chainsaws down an adjacent tree?  Okay.

3.  18 months post-spay surgery, she is happy, and I never thought she'd get there.

15. Favorite picture of your horse

This isn't a very flattering picture of either of us, but it shows our relationship precisely: I'm busy doing stuff.  She's hanging out, waiting patiently for me, because when I'm done we'll probably go someplace and do something cool.